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troops who were supporters of her liberal
government. The Carlists dominated the
northern and (for a time) the eastern
regions of Spain and enjoyed the support of
Europe's conservative monarchies. Zum-
alacárregui proved a superb leader, both in
conventional warfare and in the type of
irregular operations that he had conducted
with such success during the P
ENINSULAR
W
AR
. Despite the weight of the forces
arrayed against him, the commander's
greatest handicap was probably the inter-
ference of the titular Charles V in military
matters. His preoccupation with political
issues (in which he was also deficient)
brought the general to the verge of resig-
nation. Finally, however, he laid siege to
B
ILBAO
, against his better judgment,
because the Carlists felt that it was neces-
sary to capture a major city. Wounded on
the field of battle, he was incompetently
treated and, following the spread of infec-
tion, died of what was originally a less
than serious injury.
Many military historians regard Zum-
alacárregui as Spain's greatest soldier of the
19th century. Due to his unique mastery of
both battlefield tactics and the “little war”
in which he was able to take advantage of
fighting on home ground, he found few
rivals who could stand against him. Some
critics, on the other hand, have faulted him
for rigidity of principle. This trait led him to
attack rather than maneuver and to kill
prisoners rather than to win them over to
his cause.
acquaintance of King C
HARLES
I in 1527.
The monarch was impressed by his combi-
nation of devoutness and practicality and
asked him to become the first bishop of
what is now Mexico City. After first mod-
estly demurring Zumárraga agreed to con-
front what proved a difficult task. It involved
not only the consolidation of several tem-
porary ecclesiastical jurisdictions in M
EXICO
but also confrontation with the harsh and
arrogant conduct of the
audiencia,
or gov-
erning court, whose members had antago-
nized virtually everyone in N
EW
S
PAIN
. For
the next 20 years Zumárraga combined his
vision of spiritual leadership with an ener-
getic involvement in building a better
human environment in colonial America.
He was particularly active in the conversion
of the Amerindians, weaning them away
from their old blood-thirsty rituals. Admit-
tedly this led him to the destruction of
many artifacts and records of pre-Colum-
bian society, but he was preoccupied with
implanting a Christian civilization rather
than pursuing anthropological research. He
sought to protect the native population
against the harshness of their conquerors,
which often included virtual slavery, and to
establish a number of schools particularly
intended for them. In the course of his reli-
gious activities he frequently clashed with
the civil authorities and was at times threat-
ened by local magnates with banishment or
worse. His situation improved when a new
audiencia
was appointed and A
NTONIO
DE
M
ENDOZA
was designated first viceroy of
New Spain in 1535. The friendly and col-
laborative relationship between the bishop
and the viceroy facilitated many improve-
ments in the state of affairs in Mexico,
which had previously preserved much of its
wild frontier character. The bishop played
Zumárraga, Juan de
(1468-1548)
Spanish prelate
A Basque priest, prominent in the affairs of
the Franciscan order, Zumárraga made the
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